Thirteen pocket references for the ultrasound exams the ED actually runs. Each one: when to scan, how to set up, the step-by-step protocol, the numbers that matter, where it goes wrong, and a sample Epic note to document it.
Curated from the free tutorials at POCUS 101 — go there for the images and clips; come here for the pocket version at 3 a.m.
Find the gallbladder, press on it, measure the duct. Stones, Murphy's, wall, fluid, CBD.
→ Scan No. 003RV:LV, D-sign, McConnell's, TAPSE — and why a normal echo never rules out PE.
→ Scan No. 004Two regions, every 1–2 cm, walls must kiss. Plus the femoral-vein blind spot.
→ Scan No. 005Biceps, subscap, supraspinatus, AC joint — and the posterior view that confirms your reduction.
→ Scan No. 006PLAX, PSAX, A4C, subxiphoid, IVC. Five views answering five questions.
→ Scan No. 007Full bladder, two planes, hunt the IUP. Free fluid + hCG = the scariest math in the ED.
→ Scan No. 008Vein selection, catheter length, and continuous needle-tip tracking for difficult access.
→ Scan No. 009Retinal detachment, vitreous pathology, lens dislocation, and optic nerve sheath diameter.
→ Scan No. 010Both kidneys and the bladder. Hydronephrosis grading and the mimics that inflate it.
→ Scan No. 011Lung sliding, A-lines, B-lines, effusion, and consolidation. The artifact-based exam.
→ Scan No. 012Diaphragm to bifurcation, outer wall to outer wall. The AAA screen for the older patient with pain.
→ Scan No. 013Four free-fluid windows plus the lungs. Positive and unstable goes to the OR, not the scanner.
→ Scan No. 014Pump, tank, pipes. A two-minute framework for the undifferentiated hypotensive patient.
→ Scan No. 015When touching it hurts, stop pressing. Water as coupling medium and standoff for painful superficial anatomy.
→ Scan